Dawn Of The Day

Chapter 2. Robert's Apartment



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Robert had been right. I shouldn't have taken Providence.

As my dumb ass hanging there, upside down, in the Ford Fiesta, another explosion happened. It was close. I was a sitting duck, or one being hung by the ankles, to be exact, with blood dripping down my head to form a small puddle on the ceiling of the car.

My vision was all over the place like when I looked through a kaleidoscope. My ears couldn't stop ringing. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see a blurry silhouette running toward me. Whoever that was was calling my name, but I couldn't open my eyes.

...

It was bright.

A little too bright for comfort.

I was certain it was not sunlight or any source of natural light. It didn't have any warmth.

I lifted my hand to cover my face, but it felt heavy. It felt impossible. Clenching my teeth, I groaned and tried to turn my head to the side instead. Piercing pain cut through my body like a hot blade.

"Don't try too hard, Lou. You were hurt pretty bad."

The voice was familiar and there was only one person in this world who would sound like that. I gingerly touched the bandage around my head and slowly opened my eyes.

Robert was there in his neon orange sweater. The unfortunate sweater was ill-fitting and hideous, but I chose to focus on it instead of his deep brown eyes behind the steel-framed glasses. I was sure the explosion had made me a little crazy. I could still hear the sounds of people screaming and fighter jets clearly.

"Are the windows closed, Robert?"

That must be where the sounds came from. Robert stared at me without saying anything. I didn't understand why he had to look at me like that but I hated it. My heartbeat raced and my throat itched. It seemed that I was about to have a meltdown.

Not right now. Not at this freaking moment, in front of Robert. He, out of all the people in this world, would think that I was weak and hysterical. He had never said it out loud, but I knew that was what he thought. I had grown too much for him to look at me that way.

My phone rang, saving me from spitting out something I would regret. I thought it was my phone for a moment and started searching, but then I realized whoever had pulled me out of my car couldn't possibly remember to grab my phone too.

"Hey, Bear..."

"Hey, Lou..."

We spoke at the same time. The nicknames just slipped off our tongues like that.

Robert, who had been standing in front of me holding a glass of water, seemed more startled than I was. I guessed those nicknames still had an effect on us after all those years. To me, he was Bear. It stuck even when I hadn't said it out loud for quite some time. Even when we had both moved on.

"You first, Robert."

"How are you feeling now?"

His voice was calming, like a cool stream of water trickling through my heart. As if the moment where he had been startled only happened in my imagination. I took a deep breath, tuning out every unnecessary thought.

"When I was almost at the end of Providence..." I ignored his pointed look. I shouldn't feel guilty. He was not my dad or Vince. "I know you told me to take 2nd Street instead but my mind was overloaded. Anyway, I thought I saw someone who looked like you..."

"It was me." Robert's eyes dashed to the ceiling for a moment before they were back on me. "I saw the bus run into you. I should've run faster, or come earlier... I don't know. Anyway, it was me." He stopped and walked away.

I could see him calling my name. Screaming it like a mad person. How absurd it must have been. Robert was that type. Even when he didn't really care about you, he had to be Captain Save The Day. That was what made him so insufferable.

"So you left the house in the middle of this madness to come get me? What were you thinking, Robert?"

I knew I should thank him, but my voice rose before I realized it. If I could get up, I would be right at his face. His bright orange sweater seemed to be laughing at me.

"Jesus, Robert! It was getting dark. You should not come out, especially not now..."

It could be a mistake but I swore Robert's eyes twinkled a little and the corner of his mouth lifted as he saw me freak out.

"My eyesight is not the same anymore, Lou, but I'm not blind," he cut me off.

"Well, close enough..."

I mumbled under my breath but I suspected Robert heard it. He just didn't give me any reaction.

"You should eat something," Robert spoke from the kitchen. "It's a miracle that you survived that accident with barely a few scratches. If you need something, let me know... I have prepared some food."

When Robert said 'prepared', he meant cooking everything from scratch. He despised fast food. After an unhappy childhood, food was something Robert was obsessed about.

I looked at the steaming bowl of soup on the bedside table as Robert propped me up with some pillows. It was a true luxury. I didn't know when was the last time I had been served by someone like this.

The TV was muted. I turned my head slowly to watch the endless footage of bombarded cities and wounded people. My stomach churned. I didn't think I had any appetite.

"What's the plan?" I asked. My eyes roamed his large bedroom.

Robert continued playing with the remote, not answering my question. He must be contemplating what he should say. I could read it on his face.

"As soon as you get better," he sat down on the bed. "We will leave the city, but before that, there's one place I need to go."

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